Firefly Aerospace (FLY) stock climbed roughly 6.24% on Thursday after the company successfully launched its Alpha Flight 7 “Stairway to Seven” mission the evening before.
$FLY: Firefly just launched “Stairway to Seven,” the 7th and final flight of Alpha Block 1 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, marking the end of the current configuration before the upgraded Block II Alpha takes over.
Stay tuned for mission progress.
— Space Investor (@SpaceInvestor_D) March 12, 2026
The rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 5:50 pm PDT on March 11. It completed orbital insertion and deployed a demonstrator payload for Lockheed Martin (LMT).
This was the company’s fourth successful orbital flight out of seven Alpha launch attempts since 2021. It marked a return to form for a program that had been grounded following an accident last year.
Just five months ago, a pre-launch explosion at Firefly’s facility in Briggs, Texas, destroyed an Alpha booster. The incident was traced to fluid contamination caused by an operational error.
Following that accident, Firefly conducted a full review of its engineering, production, testing, and operations. CEO Jason Kim said the team “took a hard look at our processes” and made a series of improvements before returning to the pad.
“Alpha Flight 7 was flawlessly executed with all mission requirements completed,” Kim said in a statement.
FLY stock closed Wednesday’s regular session up 6.3%, then rose a further 4.8% to 5.6% overnight. By Thursday morning it was trading around $20.60, with premarket activity showing some pullback to around $19.33.
The Flight 7 mission did more than just reach orbit. The Alpha rocket also performed a stage two engine relight and validated key components of the upcoming Block II configuration.
Upgrades confirmed during the flight include a new in-house avionics suite and an enhanced thermal protection system. These will feed into the full Block II redesign planned for Alpha Flight 8.
Block II adds seven feet to the rocket’s length and incorporates stronger carbon composite structures built with automated machinery. Batteries and avionics will be consolidated and built in-house.
Adam Oakes, Vice President of Launch, said Flight 7 was “a critical opportunity to validate Alpha’s performance ahead of our Block II upgrade.”
Despite Thursday’s gain, FLY remains roughly 54% below its IPO price. The stock debuted on Nasdaq in August 2025 at a valuation that briefly pushed its market cap close to $10 billion after a more than 50% first-day rally.
The 52-week range sits between $16.00 and $73.80, putting the current price well off its highs.
Wall Street analysts remain broadly positive. Of the eight analysts covering FLY, five rate it Buy or higher. Three rate it Hold, and none recommend selling, according to Koyfin data.
The consensus average price target is $38.29, which would represent roughly 90% upside from current trading levels.
Firefly is now focused on completing the final milestones for Alpha Flight 8, which will carry the full Block II configuration.
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